This photo shows my mother Annie Chachich with her old high school friend Doris Teufner and husband Joe Teufner. We were on a joint family vacation with the Teufners the summer of 1974. The family on the right are unknown. My mother doesn’t remember them, so we think they were other residents of the lakeside cabins that just happened to be there at the same time as we were. We made good enough friends with them such that they came out on the rented pontoon boat with us, probably to share the cost.

Lake and location are unknown but undoubtedly somewhere “up north” Michigan. Probably somewhere in the middle of the state rather then truly way up north. Below are a couple pictures of the lake and shore in case somebody recognizes the location. If you do recognize the place or people, please let me know.

This is a shot from 1978 taken in my back yard on Pomeroy in Waterford, MI. It looks like I’m putting my friend Mark Cleveland in a headlock. His sister Crissy (Cristina) Cleveland is in red and Jennifer Carley in pink. Mark, along with his twin brother Grant, were my best friends prior to kindergarten. I think they had already moved from our street in Waterford to Lake Orion by the time this picture was taken so maybe they had come by for a visit. Jennifer Carley lived two houses down from us.

Note the yellow ring on the ground. It was from a lawn dart game called Jarts we had. They were pointed metal darts. Incredibly dangerous in hindsight. I remember throwing them up as high as I could. Somehow we managed not to get hurt. Probably could get a good price for one on ebay now but ours were well-used and the plastic fins eventually broke.

This is Mark Cleveland on the left and me on the right in 1974 in my (parents) house on Pomeroy Ave in Waterford. He and his twin brother Grant were my best friends up until about kindergarten and then they moved out to Lake Orion. We wrote letters or sent cards a couple times but quickly lost touch. Oddly enough I still remember their birthday which was March 3. If he or his brother or sister have offspring, perhaps someday they’ll find this cute picture of their dad or uncle and cause some momentary
excitement.

This is from our 1975 family trip to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. I believe this was taken at the Canadian Soo Locks observation area. The kid in the yellow shirt second to the left I think is Cindy Sandvik’s brother (assuming she had a brother). My brother has vivid memories of Cindy Sandvik (not pictured) because he has a small crush on her. So she was probably 18ish.We were visiting them on our way to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I’m not even sure how we knew the Sandviks. My understanding is that they are related to us somehow via my grandfather John Chuncich with links going back to Croatia. I don’t think I ever met them again after that day but my parents continued exchanging Christmas cards with them for many years.

The other people in the photo I know well. That’s me on the left, my sister Paula and my two cousins Paul & Robert.

This is a shot of the crane/cargo ship DC Everest entering the Canadian Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie in the summer of 1975. This appears to have been taken from the park located on Canal St. on North St. Mary’s island. According to boatnerd.com, DC Everest was built in 1953 and primarily carried wood (pulp) products between Marathon, Ontario and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Later it was renamed to Condarrell.

OK, I know what you’re thinking.What an adorable kid… and where can I get myself a pair of pants like that?Well, sorry, that kid is all growed up now and he’s no longer adorable.That’s me circa 1975. Luckily the 70s wasn’t really my coming-of-age decade but I was still collaterally damaged.(How could one wear clothes like this and not be traumatized?)

I’m not sure of the location. Some nature or park setting, most likely in Southeast Michigan.